This recipe for “Crispy Zucchini Fries” celebrates a wonderful summer crop from Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA. Serve with a favorite marinara sauce or even a sweet and tangy honey mustard. Sean, our beer buyer, suggests pairing it with Backyahd, a not overly hoppy, refreshing and light IPA from Foolproof Brewing Company of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. (more…)

Right now, we have in beautiful, organic Arrowhead cabbage from Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA – and, the other night, I took the opportunity to use one for a wonderful, sweet and crunchy salad. The cabbage offered a buttery crunch, more tender than its more rotund brother. A few turnips added a peppery bite while apple and carrot rounded things out with a sweet note for a well-balanced “slaw.” (more…)

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Right now our produce team has in flavorsome, local strawberries from Red Fire Farm. They pair particularly well in this recipe with local cow milk mozzarella from Mozzarella House in Everett, MA. Toss a handful of chopped herbs such as tarragon or dill to add bright, floral notes. Pair with a crisp saison or farmhouse ale for a lovely summer meal. (more…)

Last week, Ihsan shared with us a few memories from one of his early cheese sourcing trips – a 1993 trip to the Castelmagno region of Italy. In that post, he described one of his revelatory food experiences: Gnocchi al Castelmagno. Since that trip, he has been working on recreating the dish at home. Here is the current permutation of that recipe, one he says gets pretty close to that amazing, first taste! (more…)

Growing up, my favorite waffles were, of course, Eggos. Flavorless, with a fun catch-phrase, they were the perfect vehicle for syrup and butter. It’s no wonder that I always preferred pancakes at renowned breakfast restaurants, like IHOP and Denny’s. In college, our cafeteria was equipped with a flip-waffle iron and a bowl of batter. You could make waffles at any time of day. But, after eyeing the thin batter and tasting the outcome, it was clear that these were merely pancakes posing as waffles.

Then, I moved to Massachusetts, where I learned a lot about food (Aunt Jemima’s isn’t real maple syrup!?). I worked at a creperie as a barista who didn’t drink coffee. The crepes were filled with strange, exotic ingredients I had never heard of, like arugula and Brie. I also learned that the owner actually specialized in a variety of waffle called “Liège waffles” (also sometimes known as Belgian waffles). I had no interest in trying one – I knew what waffles were all about. But an extremely enthusiastic coworker convinced me to give it a go. She took the deep-pocketed rectangle, toasted it, got out the whipped cream and strawberries and impatiently watched as I took my first bite. And then my taste-buds exploded (with flavor, not literally exploded). Sweet, dense, yeasted, chewy, filled with sweet crunchy pockets of sugar that also caramelized on the surface of the waffle – why ruin this with whipped cream and strawberries? Eggos were no competition – in fact, I wasn’t even sure if they were really waffles at this point – these were the best waffles I had ever had!

Last Wednesday morning, as we received our weekly delivery of California produce, the wind was picking up and the clouds were grey and churning – a sure sign of snow on the way. As we hurriedly brought in the fresh greens, jewel-like lemons and first-of-the-season strawberries, the juxtaposition between the impending New England storm and spring produce from California was increasingly apparent. Unpacking a box of Moro blood oranges from Rancho del Sol, I was immediately hit with a rich, balsamic fragrance that was only matched in richness by the oranges’ bright ruby appearance. Having yet to preserve any of this season’s citrus fruit, I immediately decided to snap up a pound to juice and candy. (more…)